Italian specialities: regional cuisines are this delicious

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Italy from north to south, we eat our way through Italian specialities. From the Aosta Valley to Sicily, everything bite-sized in small bites - with Buon Appetito in any case. Attention, spoilers: The "Italian" specialities from Italy's twenty regions are totally different.

There is no "one" Italian cuisine
This is how the North eats...
Mangiare in the centre of Italy!
...this is what you can eat in the south
Culinary Special Cases: Sardinia & Sicily

There is not the "one" Italian cuisine

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breakfast — **Saltimbocca alla Romana: Veal cutlet from Rome**

The most important finding about "Italian cuisine": There is no single Italian cuisine! This is due, among other things, to...

...the considerable climatic differences between North and South. In the mountains, you eat a hearty bacon and cream sauce when it's snowing, but of course not when it's 36 degrees in the shade in the south.
...the geographical conditions. The flat, fertile Po Valley is ideal for livestock and cereal farming, while the barren south by the sea is more suitable for fishing.
...of history. Italy did not become a nation state until 1861. As a result, the individual regional specialities have been preserved over the centuries.
...in the eagerness of the people from Italy to experiment and enjoy themselves.. They cultivate their recipes, refine them further - over generations.

Italian specialities: The regional differences

Simply put, in the north of Italy there is more beef and pork, while in the south there are more dishes with vegetables, fish, poultry or lamb. Before we get to the specialities of the individual regions, first the rough differences between the north, south and centre of Italy, as well as Sardinia and Sicily.

How the North of Italy Eats

The Italian north has always been relatively prosperous and economically leading compared to the centre and south of the country. The cuisine here is correspondingly rich and substantial in ingredients compared to other Italian specialities. The menus are opulent.

Unlike most other Italian counterparts, the north has also absorbed traditions from its neighbours. Thus, dishes from France, Austria, Hungary and Slovenia can be found on the regional menus - from goulash to Sacher Torte.

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Italian specialities from the north. Here, one usually roasts with butter (in the south with olive oil). Pot roasts are popular, often prepared with wine and herbs. Northern Italians rarely use tomatoes. In addition to fish from the sea, freshwater fish is often eaten here.

In some northern regions, pasta and pizza did not exist in the past, but rather dishes with cabbage, maize grits and potatoes (as in the Aosta Valley).

P.S. Whoever thinks that regional cuisines of the North is, however, very much mistaken.... More about that later in the series!

Italian specialities from the centre of the country

Emilia-Romagna is the culinary heart of central Italy. Here, standards are set for the whole of Italy, and many gastronomic trends and well-known "Italian" specialities also come from this region, such as the idea of serving appetisers on spoons.

Parma ham, balsamic vinegar, parmesan, mortadella, tortellini, ravioli, the Bolognese sauce (which in Italy is ragù is called) - all regional specialities from Emilia-Romagna, which are now known worldwide as "typically Italian". Even if the other regions of central Italy are less well-known, refined dishes are served everywhere.

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Italian specialities from the south. The further south you go, the more often tomato is found in the dishes. In central Italy, it is mainly pork and beef that are eaten. Fish only plays a role on the coast.

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The cuisine of the south

Southern cuisine is simple and original. In the south, there are many dishes with bread and vegetables such as aubergine, artichoke, peppers, courgettes, often vegetarian.

There is hardly any beef in the south, instead lamb, poultry, less frequently pork and, on the coast, fish.

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The South made a virtue of its (financial) need and invented dishes that were simple but delicious. Pizza, by the way, is also one of them, but more on that later.

Island cuisine: Sicily and Sardinia

Although geographically Sicily and Sardinia belong to Italy, they have developed completely independent and different island cuisines. So independent, in fact, that the cuisine of Sardinia has nothing to do with that of Sicily.

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suckling pig sardinia — **"Su Porceddu",** **Suckling pig in Sardinia**
*^{_{Photo: clemarca/Getty Images via canva.com}}*

cannoli with pistachios — **Cannoli, a dessert from Sicily**
*^{_{Photo by Anna Guerrero on Pexels.com}}*

For centuries, Sicily was a melting pot of cultures, repeatedly occupied by invaders, while Sardinia was able to cook its own soup, completely undisturbed, next to the mainland for centuries.

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The Sardinians particularly appreciate game dishes, especially wild boar. Surprisingly, they don't care much for fish dishes. Pork and sheep addiction is also popular. A Sardinian speciality is grilled suckling pig, su Porceddu. Myrtle in particular gives many dishes their typical flavour.

The heart of Sicilian cuisine are fish and seafood, plus a wide range of vegetables from chickpeas to aubergines. Sicilian desserts are sought after throughout Italy.

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After this rough overview, we now move on to the regional cuisines. Attention: It will be really, really tasty!

Next episode: The hearty north! This is how delicious it tastes in the Aosta Valley

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